The Perfect Storm
by Kem'Ajiana
Summary: Generations have passed since the Last Battle, and the forest cats have long-since united to form a single clan – LakeClan – that spans the entirety of the lake territories. A new threat, however, has the potential to shatter the peace, and the clan cats must learn fast to survive – or die at the unforgiving claws of nature's most 'Perfect Storm'. Told in different point of views.
1. Ferndapple

_The Perfect Storm_

By: Kem'Ajiana

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_Summary: Generations have passed since the Last Battle, and the forest cats have long-since united to form a single clan – LakeClan – that spans the entirety of the lake territories. A new threat, however, has the potential to shatter the peace, and the clan cats must learn fast to survive – or die at the unforgiving claws of nature's most _Perfect Storm.

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**LAKECLAN ALLEGIANCES: **_(53)_

LEADER –

**Smokestar** : Very dark gray, almost black, tabby tom with vivid blue eyes (5 lives)

DEPUTY –

**Softbelly** : Very pale gray tabby she-cat

MEDICINE CATS -

Longstripe : Pale ginger tom with striking black tabby markings

**Ferndapple **: Long-tailed, ginger-and-white she-cat with green eyes ; _Apprentice: Larkpaw_

WARRIORS -

[_Hunters_]

**Mottlenose** : Mottled, dark brown tabby tom ; senior-most warrior

Hollyberry : Long-furred black she-cat with amber eyes ; senior warrior

Cedarfall : Dark gray tom

Foxtooth : Dark ginger tabby tom with a bushy tail ; _Apprentice: Hollowpaw_

Spiderfoot : Black tom with a white face, shoulders, legs and belly

**Feathersky** : Dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly and paws ; _Apprentice: Willowpaw_

Rowanfall : Bright ginger tabby tom

Sandycloud : Very pale cream tom with lighter flecks along the spine

Rocktooth : Dark gray, almost black, tabby tom ; _Apprentice: Pebblepaw_

Reedfur : Ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Brightpetal : Pale ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes

Ambercloud : Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Embercloud : White she-cat with gray-brown patches and amber eyes

Kindleflame : Bright ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

[_Guards_]

Sloepelt : Dark ginger-and-black tom with amber eyes ; senior warrior

Darkwing : Black she-cat with blue eyes ; _Apprentice : Fallenpaw_

Wispcloud : Long-furred white tom with blue eyes

Raggedear : Battle-scarred brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Sagewhisker **: Heavily-muscled, dark brown tabby tom with vivid green eyes

Rippletail : Huge, thickset brown tabby tom with green eyes ; _Apprentice: Stonepaw_

Ravenwing : Sleek black tom with white paws ; _Apprentice: Redpaw_

**Ashwhisker** : Dappled gray she-cat with green eyes

**Slateclaw **: Dark gray, almost black, tabby tom with amber eyes

Falconscree : Heavyset brown-and-white tom

Thornpelt : Golden-brown tabby tom

APPRENTICES -

Larkpaw : Dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes ; Medicine Cat apprentice

Hollowpaw : Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes ; Hunter apprentice

**Willowpaw** : Dark gray she-cat with a silver underbelly and paws ; Hunter apprentice

Pebblepaw : Light gray-blue tabby she-cat ; Hunter apprentice

Fallenpaw : Dark gray-brown tabby tom ; Guard apprentice

Stonepaw : Gray-black tabby tom with amber eyes ; Guard apprentice

**Redpaw** : White she-cat with ginger paws ; Guard apprentice

QUEENS AND KITS -

Quailwing : Pale brown tabby she-cat ; the oldest Nursery Queen

Fallowfern : Lanky brown tabby she-cat ; mother of Wispcloud's kits – Dapplekit (tortoiseshell she-cat), Honeykit (brown tabby she-cat), and Mousekit (dark brown tabby tom)

**Raindapple** : Silver-gray she-cat with lighter flecks along her flank ; mother of Sagewhisker's kits – Sootkit (dark gray tabby tom), Runningkit (pale blue-gray tabby she-cat) and Sparrowkit (mottled, dark brown tabby tom)

Whitefoot : Long-furred white she-cat ; mother of Ravenwing's kits – Tawnykit (pale brown tabby she-cat) and **Specklepaw** (tortoiseshell she-cat)

Shelldapple : Blue-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes ; expecting Rowanfall's kits

Tallflower : Black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes ; expecting Cedarfall's kits

ELDERS -

**Bonetooth** : Frail, lanky white tom with blind blue eyes ; the oldest cat in LakeClan

**Poppyflower** : Dark brown-and-white tabby she-cat

Seedpelt : Dark brown tabby she-cat

CATS OUTSIDE OF THE CLAN

Lovebug : Elderly pale ginger she-cat with very faint tabby markings ; former kittypet

Minoushe : Elderly, heavyset black-brown tabby she-cat ; former kittypet

Molly : Long-furred, black and white tom with amber-green eyes ; former kittypet

**Ragtop** : Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes ; former kittypet

**Begone** : Stocky black-and-white tom with nearly-shredded ears ; loner

Stockholm : Huge, heavily-muscled, dark brown tabby tom ; loner

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**Ferndapple : Long-tailed, ginger-and-white she-cat with green eyes**

_"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."_

_- _Helen Keller

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_Chapter One : Ferndapple_

_The quarter moon hung low _in the sky that night, hovering just above the tops of the trees. The stars of Silverpelt seemed to shine more brightly than usual, lighting the way for us as we – the three of us – made our way through the thick underbrush of the forest. My paws were silent on the earth, but my youngest companion, Larkpaw, was not quite so lucky.

My former mentor, Longstripe, lead the way up the sloping hill towards the ancient pool of our ancestors. It was called the Moonpool, and had been for generations upon generations of warriors. It was our link to our former clanmates – the ones who died good, honorable deaths. The pale ginger tabby paused at the crest of a stone, turning and glaring at Larkpaw and I with those distant amber eyes, and waved his tail in agitation.

"Come along you two," he demanded. "We don't want to be late to Starclan's hunting grounds, do we?"

Beside me, Larkpaw pricked her ears forward and shook her head eagerly. "No, Longstripe." More quietly, she turned to me. "Are we almost there, Ferndapple? I don't think my paws can carry me much further..."

I chuckled, nudging her forward a little. "Nearly, Larkpaw. Just keep following Longstripe. He's a grouch, but he's all growl and no bite."

The tom flicked his ears in our direction. "I'll show you 'no bite,' Ferndapple." With that, he disappeared under a sparse bramble bush, and my apprentice and I ducked in after him.

Larkpaw came to a halt just outside of the small tunnel, her green eyes wide with awe. "This is the _Moonpool_, Ferndapple?" I just nodded as I went to stand at the lip of the stone. "It's so _huge_!"

As I opened my mouth to call her to my side, Longstripe spoke up in his deep growl. "Follow our examples, Larkpaw. Just lick up a mouthful of water and crouch at it's edge. We'll see you in Starclan."

The little apprentice did as she was told, settling in beside me, and I wrapped my long ginger tail around her, resting it on her flank to monitor her breathing. As soon as she closed her eyes, her breath evened out and I knew she was waiting for me to follow her. I drank as little water as I needed and my green eyes slid shut.

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_Longstripe stood just ahead of me, talking with a silver she-cat. As I rose to my paws, he turned, motioning to me with his tail to join him. I nudged Larkpaw, who still lay, crouching, at my side, and padded forward._

"_This is Silvercloud," he began. "She's come to lead us elsewhere."_

_The pretty she-cat dipped her head to me warmly, though her eyes were haunted. "Greetings, Ferndapple. I have much to show you."_

_The three of us, Larkpaw sticking close to my shadow, followed Silvercloud through the StarClan hunting grounds until we came to a ledge overlooking a wide expanse of water. She turned to address the three of us._

"_Trying times are coming to the clan," she began. Her words echoed with all the power of prophecy, and my whiskers trembled from it. "Fire will rain from the sky, and ice will cover the lake. Winds will tear the trees from the ground and the cold will steal into your bodies. The earth will shake and the moon will vanish."_

_Beside me, Larkpaw trembled uncontrollably, and I soothed her the best way I could, by pressing my pelt against hers. _

"_What can we do?" Longstripe demanded, tail lashing and the fur of his shoulders rising. "Can't we prevent this from happening?"_

_Silvercloud shook her head, turning as another cat – a black tom – joined them. The tom dipped his head in peace. "I am Stormpelt. StarClan knows you wish to aid your clan, but there is nothing even we can do. The two-legs will flee – and most will not return. Should the clan survive these horrible disasters, the lake will belong only to you. You will never have to fear the two-legs again."_

_I hissed, claws sinking into the ground. My heart hammered wildly in my chest. "_If _we survive," I growled. "How can the clan survive something like this? Foxes or badgers or two-legs, yes. But how are we supposed to defend ourselves from our _home_? From nature_ itself_?"_

_A pelt brushed mine, and I inhaled the familiar scent of my sister, Briarthorn, who'd been killed moons ago after being struck by a water monster while swimming. I turned to her. "What do you have to say about this?" I demanded._

_She simply stared at me for a heartbeat, and I felt my anger rise until I was sorely tempted to strike out against the StarClanner. "I can feel your anger, Ferndapple," she murmured in her soft voice. "I know this is scary, but the clan will come out of this alright if they have the strength of their medicine cats. Smokestar has been warned, also, and he has been told exactly what he needs to do to prepare for this : _**dig**_**.**__" her amber eyes flashed at me, and I cold feel the power of her words in my belly. _"_Dig as far underground as you possibly can. StarClan will offer their guidance whenever possible."_

_Longstripe dipped his head to the three StarClan warriors and I felt myself begin to wake. As they began to fade from sight, I shouted out one final question : _

"Why?"

_The silence was the only answer I received as I woke at the edge of the Moonpool beside my apprentice and my former mentor._

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**Author's Note : **This story is set (roughly) forty five years into the future. Every cat that you've ever known has (of course) long since died. It's a story revolving around the highly popular theme of the 'apocalypse'. Please, leave me a review (or two) and add this nifty story to your favorites list. Thanks!

**Secondary Note : **For those wondering why some of the names are in **bold**, it is because those are the cats that this story will have chapters for. This chapter was for Ferndapple, the next will be for Ashwhisker (the guard). Enjoy!


	2. Ashwhisker

_The Perfect Storm_

By: Kem'Ajiana

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_Summary: Generations have passed since the Last Battle, and the forest cats have long-since united to form a single clan – LakeClan – that spans the entirety of the lake territories. A new threat, however, has the potential to shatter the peace, and the clan cats must learn fast to survive – or die at the unforgiving claws of nature's most _Perfect Storm.

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**Ashwhisker : Dappled gray she-cat with green eyes**

"_I'd rather be thought of as smart, capable, strong and compassionate than beautiful. Those things all persist long after beauty fades."_

- Cassandra Duffy

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_Chapter Two : Ashwhisker_

_Pacing angrily, Raggedear had long-since _put every nerve I had in me on edge.

"Can't you stop your pacing for a _heartbeat_, you cranky old furball?" Thornpelt snapped, tail lashing.

I sighed, watching as the two toms – former mentor and apprentice – stared at one another silently. Raggedear's claws tore at the mossy ground of the training hollow, where we'd stopped to rest, and Thornpelt puffed out his chest as if to say 'I'm not afraid of you.' I shouldered my way between the two of them, narrowing my eyes at them dangerously. As one of only two female guards (not including Redpaw, Ravenwing's apprentice), I had earned the right to interfere with nearly anything I saw fit to – as long as it did not override what the clan leader, deputy, or medicine cats ordered.

"Cut it out you two," I hissed. I spun to face Thornpelt, the junior-most guard in the clan. "Just because you're a guard now doesn't give you the right to demand whatever you want, _mousebrain_. Show some respect for your former mentor and your elders!"

The golden-pelted tom growled. "You're not much older than I am, Ashwhisker! So stop acting like you're already leader!"

"I've been a guard for nearly four seasons, Thornpelt. I've got a _lifetime_ of experience at this compared to you," I snapped. If I hadn't been before, _now_ I was irritated. My body was poised to strike out at the harebrained tom. I turned to Raggedear, who was still lashing his tail, eyes narrowed, but his ears were pricked as if he were hearing something in the distance. "What is it that has you so on edge?"

With a jerk of his broad head, the huge tabby turned to lead the two of us deeper into what was once RiverClan territory, back when LakeClan had been four separate clans, before the time of Brightstar. There was no cat that remembered that era, though we'd all heard the legends of those war-torn times.

Our paws carried us silently through the thinning underbrush until we burst onto an open stretch of flat ground. We hesitated at the edge of the treeline, trying to scent out any danger; this place was infamous for the amount of badgers and foxes we'd had to chase out. Once or twice, we'd been forced into hiding from twolegs and their brainless dogs, but those had only been during the greenleaf season and this was leaf-fall.

_So why did I hear the rumblings of monsters in the distance?_

Raggedear was the first to take a step into the open clearing, and Thornpelt puffed out his fur in agitation.

"Raggedear_," _he called softly; a warning. "It isn't safe; can't you feel it?"

I could. It was in my belly, seeping into my bones until I was nearly frozen with fear. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt like this, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. I felt like a bird caught under the claws of one of the hunters; trapped with no means of escape. Should I turn back and leave Raggedear to face whatever was out there?

Urged on by my sense of loyalty to my clan-mate, I took a step out into the open.

With a shake that served as the brown tabbies only warning, Raggedear exploded into a dead sprint through the territory, his paws drumming heavily on the earth ahead of me. I could feel Thornpelt's hot breath on my back as he followed in my steps, and the sense of urgency grew as we traveled further and further. I couldn't explain it, but it was as though we were being drawn towards the thunderpath ahead.

The rumbling ahead grew louder and louder until I thought I would go deaf of it, and the three of us took shelter in a bush that bordered the thunderpath. The ground under my paws shook and I took in a deep, calming breath before I poked my head out.

A monster roared past my nose and I recoiled back into the bush, the fur along my spine bristled as my tail slashed at the air. No cat thought it funny, as they should have, and I took that as a sign that things were not good. More slowly this time, I stuck my head out from the bush...and gasped in horror at what I saw.

An endless line of monsters was creeping by slowly, sending clouds of foul-scenting smoke into the air. Some were crouched in the grass to the side of the thunderpath, sleeping, and another was tipped on its side. One monster jerked off the thunderpath to rest on the side, sputtering as if it were dying, before coming to a rest. I watched in horror-struck fascination as four twolegs – two grown and three kits – tumbled from it excitedly. The grown female reached back into the monster to pull out a tiny kit with waving paws, and the male shouted an order. The two other kits reached into the monster and pulled out individual bundles of black, shouldering them before slamming the monster closed and following their parents. They disappeared from view a heartbeat later.

I shrugged my way back into the brambles beside my two clan-mates, breathing heavily as my heart hammered wildly in my chest.

"There's a never-ending line of _monsters_ out there!" I whispered to them urgently. I felt as if there was a stone of dread in my belly.

"I wonder what's happening?" murmured Thornpelt from where he sat huddled. Raggedear glanced at the two of us, looking thoughtful.

He stood abruptly. "We've traveled to the edge of our territory. We're not required to find what is happening beyond our borders." He paused. "However, our clan could be in danger."

I kneaded the ground with my forepaws, tail twitching, and Thornpelt bared his teeth, looking every bit the fearsome guard. "I say we check it out," the golden tom ground out. "As dangerous as this may be, it's our duty to protect the clan. If there is a chance we could be caught unawares by the twolegs and their monsters, we're bound by loyalty to our clan to find out and prevent it."

I nodded my head briskly. "We have a duty to uphold."

Without another word, Raggedear lead us out onto the thunderpath. We turned out noses towards the twolegplace and walked, the setting sun turning the sky a myriad of colors : purples and oranges and vibrant reds.

We didn't notice the streak of white that shot across the sky behind us.

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**Author's Note :** _And, so it begins folks. Will Ashwhisker and her two companions find out what is happening before StarClan's warning comes to fruition? Will Smokestar and the three medicine cat's heed the order to dig underground? Next chapter will be in Softbelly's point of view (the deputy). Stick around and leave a review. Critique is greatly appreciated! _:)


	3. Softbelly

_The Perfect Storm_

By: Kem'Ajiana

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_Summary: Generations have passed since the Last Battle, and the forest cats have long-since united to form a single clan – LakeClan – that spans the entirety of the lake territories. A new threat, however, has the potential to shatter the peace, and the clan cats must learn fast to survive – or die at the unforgiving claws of nature's most _Perfect Storm.

* * *

**Softbelly : Very pale gray tabby she-cat**

"_It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for; I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill."_

- Emilie Autumn, 'The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls'

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_Chapter Three : Softbelly_

_For as long as I _can remember, I've followed every word my leaders have spoken. I have fought and killed and survived through my loyalty to them; they have never lead me astray. Not Dawnstar and certainly not Smokestar. I have put everything I am into being the most loyal warrior – first as a hunter and, now, as a deputy – I can be. It was through sheer dumb luck that I rose to become the deputy of my clan, and, I hope, when – _if_ – the time comes for me to lead my clan in the stead of Smokestar, I will not lead my clan-mates astray.

When Smokestar awoke me this morning, just before dawn, and ordered me to wake the camp, I did not question him. I simply dipped my head, bit my tongue, and carried on.

I poked my head into the warrior's den, blinking in the shadows. "Get up you lazy furballs!" I ordered. "Smokestar is holding a clan gathering!"

Cats leaped up, blinking away the sleep from their eyes.

"It's not even _dawn_," snapped Sandycloud. "What could that old hairball _possibly_ have to tell us?"

Mottlenose – the senior-most clan warrior – growled. "If Smokestar is calling a clan gathering so early in the morning that he has to wake us up, it must be important. He doesn't do anything without a reason." The dark-furred tom rose to his paws, and I dipped my head in thanks to him as I backed from the den.

As the warriors filed from their den, I caught sight of the elders and the queens with their kits emerging as well. I turned to send the warriors that served as mentors to wake their apprentices. They rolled their eyes, but did as they were told.

Smokestar leaped onto his branch overlooking the camp. "Let all cats gather here beneath the high-branch for a clan meeting!"

_All _cats_?_ It must be something very, very serious if even the kits were allowed to attend.

Raindapple, Fallowfern and Quailwing herded the kits into some semblance of order, forcing them to sit quietly. The two expectant queens – Shelldapple and Tallflower – were aided along by the last queen, who'd already had her kits, Whitefoot. They sat a little further from the clan than the others, their bellies heavy with unborn kits. Sagewhisker, Raindapple's mate, touched his nose to hers and sat beside her, pressing his fur into hers.

"Why do we have to be up so early, Sagewhisker?' piped the littlest kit, Specklekit. She was one of Whitefoot's two kits.

The white she-cat swept her tail around her two kits – Specklekit and Tawnykit – shushing them just as Smokestar began to speak. I crouched at the base of the tree, half-hidden by an overhanging branch, my gray fur dappled by the shadows.

"I have been approached by StarClan with a dreadful warning for our clan!" he began. His tail twitched and the fur on his shoulders bristled. "They have warned me of dark times ahead – of fire that rains from the sky, and ice that will cover the lake so thickly that we cannot even fish. And that is only the half of it." His blue eyes flashed.

Yowls of fear rang out from the gathered cats.

"How can we protect ourselves?"

"What will we do?"

"What about our kits?"

"Will there be enough prey?"

Longstripe, the eldest medicine cat, burst into camp a heartbeat later, Ferndapple and Larkpaw following after him, panting. His pale tabby fur was in disarray and his amber eyes wide with fright. "Smokestar!" he cried. "Has StarClan spoken to you yet?"

The smoky tom nodded. "They came to me last night in my dreams. What have you heard? Anything?"

Ferndapple stepped forward, her green eyes serious. "They only told us that we should dig. Did you receive the same advice?"

He nodded. "Yes." With a lift of his tail, he motioned to the tip of a giant oak tree in the distance. "They spoke to me and told me that we should dig near the roots of the Sky Oak."

Longstripe nodded, stepping forward. His black tabby markings rippled over his sleek pelt. "I will need some of your apprentices to aid me in collecting herbs. StarClan only knows how much we will need later on, after this devastation begins."

With a dip of his head, Smokestar turned back to his warriors. "Willowpaw and Redpaw, you will assist the medicine cats' in collecting herbs."

Redpaw moaned, sinking her claws into the earth. "Why _me_? Why not Pebblepaw? Or Stonepaw?"

Her mentor, Ravenwing, cuffed her ear angrily. "You'll do what Smokestar orders you to do, or you'll be removing the elders' ticks for the next moon!" the black tom hissed, looking furious.

Mottlenose spoke from his position beside the elders. "What do you want us to do, Smokestar?"

For a heartbeat, the smoky tom pondered the question. "Raggedear, Thornpelt and Ashwhisker," he called. The three guards pricked their ears forward. "I want you to scout out the territory around the lake. If you see anything strange, report back to me. Go now."

The guards dipped their heads, Thornpelt looking a bit agitated, and slipped from camp, Ashwhisker's dappled pelt vanishing last as she brought up the rear. '_He chose well_,' I thought.

"Softbelly," hearing my name, I looked up at him.

"Yes, Smokestar?"

He motioned to the crowd of cats. "Pick whichever warriors you think will be best and take them the the moorland to hunt. Try and bring back enough to last us a few days – I don't know when we'll be able to hunt again."

I dipped my head, rising to my paws and stepping out to weave around my clan-mates. I tapped a few hunters on the shoulders – Ambercloud, Brightpetal, Rocktooth, Sandycloud and Feathersky – as well as the two guards Ravenwing and Wispcloud. The guards would only serve as bodyguards should any danger arise. The moorland was home to a great many threats – dogs, foxes, and the occasional badger. The badgers, luckily, tended to not stray far from RiverClan's former territory.

Ambercloud trotted alongside me, my former apprentice eager to be useful. "What do you suppose will happen to us, Softbelly?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. Though," I added. "I'm sure Smokestar will lead us through well enough."

Feathersky yawned as she loped across the ground at Rocktooth's side. "I just wish it weren't so _early_. I feel as if I didn't sleep a heartbeat."

Laughing, the dark-furred tabby nudged her with his shoulder. "Please, Feathersky. It's just before dawn. Look – you can already see the sun starting to rise!"

Ravenwing lashed his tail ahead of us, huffing. "_Hunters_," he hissed. "They don't even know what a dawn patrol is like."

I rolled my eyes as my brother – Wispcloud – nodded in agreement. '_We may not, but you don't know what it's like to return to camp empty-pawed with a hungry clan waiting._'

We have to a halt at the edge of the treeline, and I briefly wondered how Raggedear's patrol was faring; had they found anything to speak of? Ahead of me stretched an endless field of moorland, and I felt my muscles begin to flex, ready to tear after my prey. Wispcloud and Ravenwing crouched where they were, eyes wide to scan the horizon for danger.

Brightpetal and Ambercloud stepped onto the moor, drawing air over their tongues to scent for prey. Rabbit-scent was in the air and I slunk across the moorland, keeping my belly close to the ground – I did not want to frighten my prey before I had it in my claws.

Ahead of me, Rocktooth and Feathersky burst into a dead-sprint, tearing after a fleeing rabbit. They worked like a unit, splitting apart to ambush their prey before it could dart underground. They gray she-cat returned a few heartbeats later, proudly carrying a fat rabbit in her jaws. I nodded to her in congratulations.

"Well done, you two!" called our guards, and I winced inwardly. Stupid guards had probably just scared off all the prey on the moor.

Sandycloud was ahead of me – my partner, so-to-speak – and I went on the alert when his ears pricked forward and his tail rose the slightest amount. The bunching of his muscles was the only warning I had to prepare myself – you didn't speak when you hunted – before he sprang into action. My pelt nearly brushed his as we tore across the open ground, our claws digging into the heather. My sides heaved from the exertion, but my muscles screamed at me to go faster.

The rabbit ahead of us darted to the left, and I dug one of my hind paws into the ground to shift direction, splitting from Sandycloud's side. The rabbit panicked, darting back to the left. The pale-colored tom had prepared for it, however, and was upon it in an instant. They collided, tumbling to the ground in a heap of fur and claws. The rabbit let out a strangled cry, then fell silent. Sandycloud sat up in the thick grass, only the tips of his ears visible, and I padded towards him.

"Good catch," I called softly to him.

Through the rest of the morning – nearly to sunhigh – we caught two more rabbits and a squirrel that had wandered too far over from the woodland. The guards, which surprised us, managed to bring down a thrush and, though it was not much, we praised them like any apprentice hunter. They didn't seem to realize, however, and we were fine with that.

As we began to make our ways back towards the camp, just before we crossed into the woodland, Ambercloud caught scent of a mouse and dropped into a crouch smoothly. She stalked towards it, her paws silent, but just before she was on it, she sat straight up. The rest of us watched curiously, not really paying attention.

"What is is, Ambercloud?" called Rocktooth from where he was grooming his chest fur. "Scared of a mouse?" he teased.

She didn't answer, waving her tail to get our attentions more seriously. "What is _that_?"

We looked to where she was pointing. A streak of white was racing across the sky, towards the mountains in the distance.

Brightpetal shrugged. "A shooting star, perhaps?"

I shook my head, getting to my paws. "No. It was too bright." I jerked my head. "Let's get this prey to camp. We can ask the medicine cats when we get back; maybe they know?"

We collected our prey, traveling more quickly back to camp, our paws carrying us with a sense of urgency.

A question nagged at the back of my mind : _would the clan survive what was to come?_

* * *

**Author's Note : **_So, hopefully you are starting to see how these chapters will all interconnect with one another. Softbelly is one of my favorite clan warriors ; she's so loyal, though I do wonder what she'd be like as a leader, due to her seeming reliance on her leader (first Dawnstar and now Smokestar). Redpaw, Willowpaw and Feathersky, along with Raindapple, have all - at some point - been my warrior cat OC's (though Redpaw's prefix was actually Blood-); this story has given me a reason to bring them and all their conflicting personalities together! Mwaha! I'm very excited to see how they will interact. _

_Now, as for Rocktooth and Feathersky, I'm debating on whether or not to have them as a 'couple' or not. I'm leaning towards the '_yes_', but I don't feel like having more kits running around than absolutely necessary. Anyway, next chapter should be up relatively shortly! This next one will be in Feathersky's point of view (the hunter). I'm very excited to revisit her in this story; she's always been the motherly, nurturing kind - she and Willowpaw (who will be visited later on)._

_Read and review, please._

_*ALSO! If you are among the first five (5) reviewers, leave a little note of one of the following, and I will (likely) make it happen :_

**_- Kit-Warrior name. Can be existing kit or one of the unborn kits. (except for Raindapple's kits). Example : _(existing kit) Tawnykit - Tawnynose or (unborn kit) Swallowkit - Swallowsong**

***If it is an unborn kit, please leave the following information as well : **

**Mother (and father, if available)**

**Minor physical description (no more than two sentences) **

**Minor personality description (no more than two sentences).**

**_-Character death. Example :_ Longstripe - Greencough or Quailwing - Fox**

**_- Character coupling. Example :_ ****Feathersky x Rocktooth or Willowpaw x Fallenpaw**

_Thank you for your participation! :)_


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